Drawing properties of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene fibers prepared at varying formation temperatures

Abstract

AbstractThe values of the percentage crystallinity, melting temperature, birefringence, and cross‐sectional area of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE)/low MWPE (LMWPE) as‐prepared fiber specimens are reduced consistently as the formation temperatures decreased from 60 to 0°C. Much more sparse structures with significantly larger voids are found on the fractured surfaces of those as‐prepared fibers that were prepared at higher formation temperatures than those prepared at lower formation temperatures. The cross sections of the as‐prepared fiber specimens gradually change from an oblate to a nearly circular to an uneven circular shape as the formation temperatures are reduced from 60 to 10 to 0°C, respectively. It is worth noting that the achievable draw ratios (Dra) of the as‐prepared fibers reach maximum when they are prepared at an optimum formation temperature of 10°C. Moreover, the Dra values of the as‐prepared fiber (UL10) specimens can be further improved by using a two‐stage drawing process, wherein the temperature used in the second drawing stage (Tsec) is higher than 95°C. In fact, the optimum Tsec of the two‐stage drawn UL10 fiber specimens increases significantly from 105 to 115°C as the first‐stage draw ratio (Dlr) values increase from 20 to 40, respectively. The birefringence values, tensile strengths, and moduli of one‐ and two‐stage drawn UL10 fiber specimens increase consistently with increasing draw ratios, although the increasing rate of these values is gradually reduced as the draw ratios are greater than certain values. In contrast, at a constant draw ratio, the two‐stage drawn UL10 fiber specimens drawn at a higher Tsec always exhibit higher values of birefringence, tensile strengths, and moduli than those with the same Dlr but drawn at a lower Tsec. Moreover, at a constant draw ratio, the birefringence values, tensile strengths, and moduli of the fiber specimens drawn at a fixed optimum Tsec reach the maximum when they are first drawn up to an optimum Dlr of about 50. In fact, by using the proper optimum Tsec and Dlr, the tensile strengths and moduli of the two‐stage drawn UL10 fiber specimens can reach more than 11 and 155 GPa, respectively. The possible mechanisms accounting for these interesting properties are proposed in this study. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 91: 1559–1570, 2004